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Foreign Minister Says Syria Looking Forward to Return to Arab League

A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
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Foreign Minister Says Syria Looking Forward to Return to Arab League

A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP

Syria's foreign minister said on Saturday he was looking forward to the return of Syria to the Arab League as the country's new rulers seek a place in the regional political landscape, Reuters reported.

Asaad Hassan al-Shibani made his statements during a joint press conference in Damascus with Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki, who said the Arab League was working with member states to activate Syria's participation.

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Netanyahu: Israel Retains Right to Resume Gaza Fighting

FILED - 03 March 2020, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivers an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 03 March 2020, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivers an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
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Netanyahu: Israel Retains Right to Resume Gaza Fighting

FILED - 03 March 2020, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivers an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
FILED - 03 March 2020, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivers an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Israel retains the right to resume war in Gaza with US backing should the second stage of the ceasefire prove pointless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

"If we must return to fighting we will do that in new, forceful ways," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

"President (Donald) Trump and President (Joe) Biden have given full backing to Israel's right to return to combat if Israel concludes that negotiations on Phase B are futile," he said.

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT), mediator Qatar announced Saturday, as families of hostages held in Gaza braced for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepared to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rushed to set up a surge of aid.
The prime minister had warned earlier that a ceasefire wouldn’t go forward unless Israel received the names of hostages to be released, as had been agreed.

The pause in 15 months of war is a step toward ending the deadliest, most destructive fighting ever between Israel and the Hamas militant group — and comes more than a year after the only other ceasefire achieved. The deal was achieved under joint pressure from Trump and the outgoing administration of President Biden ahead of Monday's inauguration.
The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, and negotiations on the far more difficult second phase are meant to begin just over two weeks in. After those six weeks, Israel’s security Cabinet will decide how to proceed.
Israeli airstrikes continued Saturday, and Gaza's Health Ministry said 23 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours.